Eastern Snow & Avy Workshop = Nov 10

[jshefftz]

Save the date:
The 2012 Eastern Snow and Avalanche Workshop will be held on November 10 (Saturday) in the North Conway area!

The What will be held When and Where?

Okay, so if you missed the inaugural 2011 “ESAW” then you missed out on a day of avalanche safety presentations, followed by a social hour (and then some...), complete with prize raffles and vendor displays.

So even though you may not have attended, 85 of your fellow backcountry enthusiasts did, and we had to turn away about 40 more beforehand because of space limitations. (Apologies again if you fell into that latter category!)

This year we are looking into a larger venue to accommodate everyone.

ESAW is a joint effort of the American Avalanche Association and the USFS Mt Washington Avalanche Center. To get on the official email distribution list, send an email to the ESAWavalanche google mail account. (And yes, we’ll eventually have an ESAW.org website.)

Article on last year’s event (and yes, I can provide the original pdf if this jpg is too low in quality):



And here’s a nice write-up from Dave Lottmann (the EMS guide and avy instructor):
http://davidlottmann.wordpress.com/2...kshop-11-5-11/

Also, as the presumptive Member Affiliate Representative elect to the AAA Governing Board, first and foremost, I really like using the word “presumptive” (just like that other guy from Massachusetts running for some office or other). Second, I can reassure you that lots of schwag is already coming in for raffle prizes – Mister Ups is getting quite the workout bringing everything to my door (along with the usual Chinese plastic contraptions for our toddler daughter). So although ESAW is not free, you stand a good chance to win back your registration fee in prizes! (And it’s a small price to help keep yourself safe...)

Finally, while I have your attention (unless I’ve already lost it?), the dates for my own L1 avalanche course (the subject of a 2011 ESAW presentation):
http://avycourse.blogspot.com
... are November 18 classroom (in Northfield MA) and March 2-3 field sessions (Mt Washington).
The November 18 classroom session can also be taken as a standalone refresher course, since it’s almost entirely discussion, group exercises, etc. (with the “traditional” PowerPoint reduced for this, the classroom sessions’s fourth incarnation, down to about half an hour total throughout the day, since the basic technical knowledge foundation is achieved via pre-course reading on your own, not getting lectured at all day).

[jshefftz]

A few ESAW updates:

1. Location will be the John H Fuller Elementary School, just around the corner (literally) from last year's venue, to be followed by vendor displays and socializing at IME (just like last year).

2. Registration is now available at: http://www.esaw.org/registration/

3. One of the presenters will be Karl Birkeland: http://www.montana.edu/wwwes/facstaff/birkeland.htm

4. The official update email to the mailing lists is copied below.

Also, unrelated to ESAW, but related to eastern avalanches, registrations are starting to come in for my own avy course (and I've finally resolved some annoying NSP red tape), so if potentially interested:
http://avycourse.blogspot.com
http://avycourse.blogspot.com/2010/0...bus-dates.html
http://avycourse.blogspot.com/2010/0...tion-form.html
... please send in the registration materials and/or ask me any q's if anything is still unclear after reading the website.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Christopher Joosen <esawavalanche@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Sep 17, 2012 at 1:20 PM
Subject: Eastern Snow and Avalanche Workshop - (ESAW) November 10, 2012 Registration

ESAW'ers, The age old truth continues today, “when an avalanche happens don’t be there”. How do we do that?- Never rest in the pursuit to know more about the avalanche enigma and phenomenon. As every snowflake is different so is each snowpack situation on any given day in any given winter. When we think we’ve got snow figured out we’re surprised again. Avalanche professionals around the globe acknowledge no one knows it all, we must continue to learn, discuss and share avalanche knowledge to enjoy a long life in the mountains. There are no experts, we are all students. In this vein I am happy to announce ESAW 2012.

The Eastern Snow and Avalanche Workshop in North Conway, NH is a place to bring together avalanche-minded individuals to share their enthusiasm for snow and discuss topics related to the winter in cold steep climates. We hope this will continue to be an annual gathering of avalanche professionals, educators, guides and backcountry skiing and climbing enthusiasts in the Northeast. It may be for personal interest, to fulfill continuing education and professional development needs, or the impending excitement for the upcoming winter.

Last year we launched the first ESAW which was grassroots and very successful. I hope, even with some modest growth this year, that we continue the same feel that we had last November, intimate, interactive, and fun. In order to allow more participants we are going to move a few doors down to the John Fuller Elementary School Auditorium, while keeping the vendor and social setting with our friends at International Mountain Equipment (IME). Registration and Workshop updates will all occur online at www.esaw.org so follow this link to sign up today. (You can continue to contact us at esawavalanche@gmail.com.) Your registration fee includes all the talks, several raffles throughout the day, coffee, donuts/fruit and social at IME with hops and barley. Any remaining funds will go to The White Mountain Avalanche Education Fund set up to educate kids of the northeast about avalanches. For more information follow the proceeding link to the Mount Washington Avalanche Center website. http://www.mountwashingtonavalanchec...ducation-fund/

We look forward to seeing all of you at ESAW 2012 in North Conway NH on November 10th!

[Cat in January]

Registered today. Look forward to saying hello.

Lee

[jshefftz]

Like us on Facebook!
http://www.facebook.com/EasternSnowAndAvalancheWorkshop

(Even better though would be to register so that we have a rough idea of head count for setting up the meeting space.)

[Moops]

I'm registered and coming up from SE Connecticut (no real plans yet)...anyone out there also headed up from the area or along the way?

I'm looking to carpool...

I'm open to an overnight or a one day round-trip...I can drive or share expenses...

I'm willing to go a little out of the way to hookup if there is interest

PM me if you're interested

[jshefftz]

Final reminder for the Eastern Snow & Avalanche Workshop this coming Saturday, November 10:
http://www.esaw.org/welcome/schedule/

In addition to presenters from New England & the Daks, presenters are coming from the Sawtooths and Chic Chocs, for a total of a dozen different presentations – probably enough for a two-day event!

Registration opens at 7:30, and then the presentations start at 8:15, wrapping up at 4:30 with a short move over to IME for socializing and vendor displays. Throughout the day we’ll have raffles, with about 40 items ready to be loaded up (once I unpack from West Virginia...) from Shefftz Ski & Sports (i.e., my basement), plus a bunch of freebies at registration.

Given the big day and anticipated big attendance, preregistration is strongly encouraged:
http://www.esaw.org/registration/?ac...ister&event_id

And until then, just stay out of trouble, okay?


[Timberline ski area, West Virginia, on Saturday afternoon]


[North Branch “Correctional Institution” Supermax a little over an hour away on the drive back home the next afternoon]

[jshefftz]

Nice ESAW write-up here (by EMS avy instructor Dave Lottmann):
http://davidlottmann.wordpress.com/2...nche-workshop/
(My write-up will appear in an upcoming issue of the American Avalanche Association's "The Avalanche Review" publication.)